Maintaining a Coffee Roasting Temperature Profile

CLEVELAND - OhioPen -- CAS DataLoggers provided the coffee roasting temperature profile solution for a small coffee roaster producing home-brewed blends in the back of his small storefront. Original flavor creation required repeated experiments with green coffee beans sourced worldwide, poured into an industrial roaster and warmed to about 220°C (428°F) for a city roast with a good brown color that brought out the beans' flavor and acidity.

To ensure a repeatable process and to get a detailed view of the roasting process to fine-tune new flavors, the owner wanted a user-friendly temperature monitor with wireless communication for quick data collection. This device needed to be compact for installation in a small room and economical enough to fit into the store's modest budget.

Installation

The owner installed a T&D RTR-505-TC Wireless Thermocouple Data Logger in his brewing room, tying it directly to the nearest side of the roasting machine. He then connected the logger to a Type K thermocouple probe placed inside the roaster along with the beans to continually monitor the high temperatures. As the beans roasted, this data was collected by a T&D RTR-500 Wireless Base Station attached to the wall nearby. Throughout the process, the logger's display gave a clear indication of the roaster's current temperature so the owner could quickly and accurately check product consistency.

More on Ohio Pen

Usage

The thermocouple data logger's customizable alarm settings alerted the owner whenever the roaster temperature went outside the brew's range. The system measured and stored the data and communicated wirelessly to the base station sending its current readings during set intervals and monitored for user-set alarm warnings.

After the beans had finished roasting, it was easy to download all the data: the data logger wirelessly sent its data to the base station from up to 500 ft. away. This built-in wireless communication technology allowed him to view current readings and stored data anytime from anywhere (including from home), presented in graph display or exported to other programs.

Benefits

The brewer benefited immediately from installing the Wireless Thermocouple Data Logger onto his roasting machine. Now the brewer was able to oversee the roasting process to view and document the temperature profile and recreate it in the next batch. The system's ease of use made it easy to get started, with simple configuration and alarm setup. The temperature recorder was also cost-effective for the brewer's limited budget, giving his business wireless monitoring and alarming for an affordable cost.

More on Ohio Pen

For more information on the T&D RTR Wireless Data Loggers, or to find the ideal solution for your application-specific needs, contact a CAS Data Logger Applications Specialist at (800) 956-4437 or visit us at https://www.dataloggerinc.com/